Chair



Dec. 11, 1934. w. H. POGGENDORF CHAIR Filed Nov. 21, 1952 INVENTOR mm @76/Za 0z 7 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 11, 1934 UNITED "STATES PATENTTf OFFlCE" m s p v William H. Poggendorf. Rochester, N. Y. Application November 21, 1932 Serial No. 643,697 I 1 1 lam; (Cl..155----'116) v t i The present invention relates' to chairs of the adjustable or reclining type and more particularly to reclining chairs which the seat and back are adjusted automatically as the person ,5 occupying the chair alters the position in the chair of his body.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an automatically adjustable chair of the reclining type which will be simple in construction, have no movable parts likely to get out of order, and which will be comparatively cheap to manufacture.

A further object of the invention is to provide a chair of the type described which is so constructed that there will be no separation of the meeting surfaces of the back and seat in any position of adjustment of the chair and which will provide a full support for the body of the person occupying the chair in reclining as well as in upright position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a reclining chair having an adjustable foot-rest so that the person using the chair can completely relax. In this regard, a still further object of the invention is to provide a foot rest that may be collapsed and pushed in under the seat so that it will be out of the way when the chair is not in use.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent hereinafter from the specification and. from the recital of the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a chair built according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, one arm being removed and the chair being shown in normal or upright position; and

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the back and seat shown in lounging or reclining position.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral des-' ignates the frame of the chair which includes the rear uprights or standards 11 and the arms 12. The back 14 of the chair is pivotally mounted between the rear uprights or standards 11 by means of studs or pins 15.

The seat 16 is slidably mounted on the frame 10, being supported on rails 17 that are secured to opposite sides of the frame. At its back end, the seat 16 is of slightly less width than the back 14. so that its back end is received between the sides of the back. The seat is connected to the back by pins 18, which are secured in the sides of the seat and which engage in slots 19 of the side strips 20 of the framework of the back. Through this connection, the seat moves forward as the back is tilted rearwardly.

' To keep the meeting surfaces of the seat and back The rails 17 are formed at their inner or rear ends with inclined or cam surfaces22 and the underside of the framework 21 of the seat is shaped to provide cooperating inclined or cam surfaces 23. Thesetwo'cooperating cam. sur- '5 faces are so formed that as the seat slides-forward on the rails 17, it islifted. vertically. I I 4 A coiled spring 24 servesto retract the seat and return seat and back to normal or upright position whenever pressure on the back 14 of the chair is released. This spring is secured at one end to the framework 21 of the seat and at its other end to a brace 25 extending between opposite sides of the frame 10 of the chair. While the power of this spring is sufficient to retract the seat, when the person occupying the chair rises, it is not strong enough to require the exeroise of any pressure by the occupant of the chair to hold the back in inclined position. The weight of the body on back and seat is sufiicient to counteract the force of the spring and no exertion is required to maintain the chair in reclining position.

Both seat and back are suitably upholstered.

in contact at all times regardless of the position of adjustment of the chair, the rear end of the seat is formed with an overstuffed or tufted portion 26 which extends above the rest of the seat. The framework of the seat might be so formed .30 as to provide this upwardly extending portion 26.

The side strips 20 of the back project downwardly beyond the body portion of the back, the underside of the upholstered body portion of the back being indicated at 27. This undersurface 27 is inclined upwardly from front to rear. The construction is such that the tufted portion 26 of the seat may extend between the sides of the frameworkof the seat and be received beneath the bottom surface 27 of the back 14, when the seat is in retracted position.

The chair may be used with the back in up right position, as in an ordinary chair, but if the person using the chair desires to assume an easy or reclining position, he simply leans back. The back 14 will tilt back and the seat will simultaneously move forward. Moreover, as theseat moves forward, the cam surface 23 rides up on the cam surfaces 22 .of the side rails 17, lifting the seat. Thus the tufted portion 26 of the seat is maintained in contact with the under-surface 2'7 of the back so that a continuous upholstered rest is provided for the back and spine of the person using the chair whatever reclining position is assumed. There is no separation of back and seat 55 in any position of adjustment of the chair. Moreover, in all positions of adjustment of the chair, the back and seat meet at an angle corresponding to the natural line of back and spine so that the occupant of the chair may completely relax.

As a further adjunct in the line of comfort, the chair is provided with a foot-rest designated at 30. This foot-rest is hingedly mounted on a frame 31 which slides between rails 32 and 33 that are secured to the sides of the frame 10 of the chair beneath the rails 17. There is a brace 35 pivotally connected to the foot-rest and formed with notches 36 that are adapted to engage a pin 37 which is secured to the frame 31.

The foot-rest can be folded down on the framework 31 and pushed in under the seat 16,- as shown in Fig. 1, to be out of the way when the chair is not in use. To use the foot-rest, a person simply pulls the frame 31 out on the rails 32 and 33 and adjusts the rest to the proper angle by engaging one of the notches 36 of the brace 35 with the pin 37. A strap or tab'38 may be secured tothe foot-rest so that it can be easily lifted. I 7

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of various modifications and this application is intended to cover all embodiments or modifications of the invention falling within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

In a chair, the combination with a frame, a back pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on the frame, a seat slidably mounted in the frame, said seat and back being operatively connected at each side'by pin and slot connections whereby a sliding movement is imparted to the seat on pivotal movement of the back, a pair of rails secured to either side of the frame beneath the seat and extending from the front of the frame close to the back of the seat and terminating in cam surfaces disposed at an angle to the direction of sliding movement of the seat, said seat having cam surfaces provided on the underside and at the rear thereof to cooperate with the cam surfaces of the rails to move the rear of the seat vertically asit slides in the frame, said back being formed with an upholstered portion projecting over the upholstered portion of the seat to form an uninterrupted support for the back of the occupant of the chair in any position of adjustment of the chair.

WM. H. POGGENDORF. 

